Tim Goeglein is a perfect hire as lead Washington lobbyist for Focus on the Family. He resigned from the Bush White House on Feb. 29, 2008, after ex-Fort Wayne News-Sentinel columnist Nancy Nall discovered that Goeglein, while he wrote guest columns for the newspaper, had plagiarized 19 of 38 columns. According to the Colorado Independent, he had used the works of such luminaries as the Dartmouth Review, Nixon speechwriter Ben Stein and the Pope without credit.
A Rove protégé, Goeglein worked in the Bush White House in 2001 as chief liaison to socially conservative religious groups. The New York Times says that Goeglein was influential in decisions on a range of questions important to that constituency, including stem cell research, abortion and faith-based initiatives.
Instead of hiring a writer with a Pulitzer Prize, Focus on the Family hired one who plagiarized, which reveals the organization's true character. Goeglein seems well qualified to work for an organization known for distorting research and confusing fact with fiction. Already the 'Master of Misquote,' Goeglein won't need on-the-job training.
Focus on the Family is no stranger to controversy surrounding the group's honesty and integrity. In the past two years, at least seven researchers have accused the organization of manipulating or cherry picking their results to back their anti-gay teachings. Letters and videos documenting the concerns of these respected professors can be viewed at www.RespectmyResearch.org.
Focus on the Family Action President and CEO Jim Daly released a statement to the Colorado Independent on the hiring of Goeglein:
Tim has been forthright about his mistakes and humbly accepted the consequences of them -- a pretty rare thing in Washington. He is a Christian, and being a Christian doesn't mean you're perfect -- only that there is grace and forgiveness when you confess your imperfections. Tim has done that, and we welcome him to our team enthusiastically.
Goeglein would have been a more sympathetic figure had his conscience compelled him to come forward with the truth. Instead, he was caught red handed and had no choice but to accept the consequences of his unethical behavior.
People should start focusing on the fibs and take anything this organization puts out with a grain of salt.